Set in Stone
by rogueofmv
Summary: Kyle was just your average schoolboy... until the distortion came and changed his life forever... now he's caught up in a battle to save the entire universe's existence! Story is now COMPLETE. Read/rate/review is always appreciated here.
1. Permanence

Like all stories about mystical beings and warriors and dragons and all that fantasy whatnot, this one begins with an ordinary child in an ordinary town on an ordinary day.

But this is no ordinary fantasy. This one is a testimony from the mouth of a man in a real city on our actual Earth, and no other. I've recalled this story many a time ever since its occurrence over 3 years ago. Some call me insane. Others say I'm a visionary. Still others think I speak only the truth. The latter ones are correct. They saw it all.

The story begins on October 22, 2008. A glorious Wednesday, with not-so-glorious weather. The clouds were heavy on this mid-autumn afternoon in Newport Beach, CA. School had just let out, so all that was left to do was walk back home to my city-borderline home and submerge myself in the arts, as I always do when I get home.

I guess now would be a proper time to properly introduce myself. I am Kyle Staunton, age 17. I live in a normal home, attend a normal high school, and am just fine with all of it. I like television, adore video games, and absolutely love to read. Some say my overactive imagination tends to get the best of me. But let me tell you, this time... it would get the best of everyone.

My house almost directly borders a university. I swear, I've seen one of those students staring at me from their dorm room as I walk down Jamboree Road. I walk down that road frequently. It helps me clear my head.

But today, my head wanted to be filled rather than cleared. I knew there was only one place I could go to feed that hunger...

"Kyle, is that you?"  
"Yes, mom. I'm home."  
"Okay. Dinner's in 30, and don't give me any excuses to delay it today. We're all hungry."  
This was not what my head wanted to feed on.  
"I'll be in my room."  
"Set your alarm."

I shut the door behind me as I stepped into my bedroom. On my bed was a book. A dusty old tome full of short stories, poems, and novels, all written by the Staunton men before me: my father, his father, and so on, back to the early eighteenth century, when my forefather, Dale Staunton, christened the blank notebook of 10,000 pages with its first written word, its first page, its first short story. All the works in the Staunton literary collection are fiction, and were either inspired by popular writing styles of the time, the author's life and experiences, or wild fantasies. No work in the tome was, is, or will ever be published. It is a sacred and private affair to the family.

Once a young Staunton has found his story, he writes it in the huge notebook, never to be seen by the eyes of outsiders. But this is not that story. I haven't decided what to write in there yet.

I laid down on the bed and opened the hardbound book with the many scribbles and scripts inside it to page 2071, and picked up where I left off reading my grandfather's first novel. I had vowed to myself that I would read every story in the huge book before even considering writing my own. So far, the vow had held up.When I read a work of fiction, I envelop myself in it. The world around me dissolves, and the world in my mind becomes the only thing I hear, see, touch... this is why I needed the alarm clock to warn me that my time was up.

And soon enough, it rang, signaling dinnertime.

Now, before I continue, I must make it clear that what happened beginning that night was not the result of me being submerged in my imagination. On the contrary. What happened was a physical outburst of my imagination.

After dinner, I decided to turn in early. I stared at the Japanese prints hanging on the ceiling for a few minutes; their colors always stood out as a form of art in itself to me. And then, I took out my Game Boy and played it. But just for a few minutes, because the wind had invaded my room. The chill brought a thought to my head:

_This game... it has no realism._ But it was not me thinking. Something in the wind had stimulated me._  
I implore you... think about it._ My own mind began to continue the conversation with the wind.  
So I thought... or so I thought I thought. And from my thought came a thought:_  
It's true! The game... the story... it's so idealistic! So repetitive! Just like my daily routine... I sank. If we could cross paths... what drama would ensue. Real, uncut, passionate, unusual... drama._

But I knew that it could never happen. Bending reality is impossible..._  
Is it, now?_ The wind talking again.

I decided to quit and retire to my slumber. I had plans to arrange in my head, and matters to prepare. As I continued to interpret more and more of my endless though, I slipped deeper, and deeper, until eventually, at 9:15 PM that night, I began the most perfect sleep that I have slept so far in my life.

I did not dream that night. All I saw in my mind was a flash of white light at 3:08 AM.


	2. Autumn Fruits

I awoke to a brand new world.

Something was definitely different about today. The room felt fresh, cool, renewed. The light coming in through the window was pure, as if the sun was high. I checked the clock. 11:35 AM.

"Crap."  
I had overslept. There was no way I would even _try_ showing up to school today.

I looked out the window and saw what was almost paradise. The sky was devoid of cloud cover. There were no occlusions. There was no smog. _No smog._ It was like looking through the window of an airplane just after takeoff, head tilted toward the omniscient eye, the sun, which stared back, glowing a flawless bright white.

Examine with me now, if you will, the grass: perfect, vivid green, with a happy blue tint just slightly invading it. The concrete surrounding it was made even duller by its brilliance. The trees were all speckled with yellow, orange, red, and purple leaves, ready to be pushed off the branches by the buds of new leaves. Yes, autumn had truly arrived today. But this arrival was unique. I almost would have grown suspicious of the intense vividity, had it not been for the reliable dullness of the books on my bookshelf.

I exited my room to nobody's welcome. Undaunted by the family's absence, I simply went downstairs to grab a bite to eat. When I got to the pantry, Mom had been there already. She had placed a note on the door:

_Gone chasing after a mysterious sound we heard during breakfast. We fear there may be dangerous animals in the vicinity. Back this afternoon._

_Hmm... there's never been a problem with animals around here_, I reflected. _Maybe this day's going to be much more interesting than I expected._

I left the house through the back door and went into the small backyard, where the single tree in the center was shedding its old leaves, just like all the others. The bushes lining the fence were speckled with berries of all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes. Red ones, green ones, wrinkled and round ones, fragrant ones, dull ones, even ones that were already dead. I plucked a seafoam-green berry from the bush on the eastern fence and examined it. It looked just like any other small fruit.

Then I ate it. It tasted like a sweet mint. A smile spread across my face."These will be perfect."

I knew I was taking a risk by harvesting berries that I didn't know the toxicology of, but something inside me was telling me it was the right thing to do. Plus, the berry had increased my focus. I was feeling quite chipper now. I took as many as I could and stuffed them into my shirt pocket. Then I took them inside the house and stuck them in the long-empty "homegrown fruits" jar.

"Oops."

It was a voice coming from the front yard. I went through the gate.

There was a young boy there, leaning over to pick up a handful of berries that he had spilled on the concrete. He was no older than 14. As he worked to correct his mistake, he quietly sang a bold little rhyme:

_Today, today__  
Will be the day__  
When all the pain  
__Will wash away.__  
I'll never stop__  
I'll never stray__  
And soon I'll be__  
On top, to stay._

And soon enough, his berries were back in his backpack.

This following moment was a pivotal moment for me, because it would mark the first time in my life that I would willingly hold a meaningful conversation with a complete stranger.

"Hey!"  
I would regret that "hey" for the rest of my life.  
"...hi."  
"Shouldn't you be in school? It's only 12:45."  
"See, that's just it! I can't seem to find my school. Matter of fact, this whole city seems new to me..."

That's when I noticed his apparel. A blue shirt with black sleeves, black jeans, a red baseball cap, and a very small-looking backpack with many compartments.

"Interesting. And just... where do you actually live?"  
"Well, I came from Verdanturf Town."  
I refused to believe that. Someone was obviously playing a joke on me.  
"...that's in Hoenn, isn't it?"  
"Correct."

I had to test his honesty. There were only two plausible forms of concrete proof, and one of them would be in his backpack. The other, in his pocket.

"...might a newcomer to the field see an experienced user's equipment?"  
"Take a look. You might learn a few important things."_  
Yes... very important things._  
I unzipped the front compartment to find some very tiny spray bottles. I removed one.  
"One spray to heal one wound."  
Another: "One spray to heal ten wounds."

I replaced the bottles, shaken by their mere existence. But the pocket I wanted to see in reality was the right side zipper. In here, I would find either solid proof of my suspicions... or a total fakeout. Anxious, I opened the zipper.

What I saw almost caused me to go insane. I reached in. I pulled one out...  
"One push to activate it..." I gave the button a push. The ball expanded to a diameter of two and a half inches.  
"... and another to open it."  
Click.

Time stopped. The memory of the white flash in my mind last night replayed, this time in slow motion. A dimensional gate was open. Air flowed through it. My mind exploded through the gate. Another world, made up of others' minds, followed suit.

Then, reality again. I examined the inside of the ball. The mechanics inside were none too simple. Tiny devices whirred and rolled inside perpetually, waiting to receive. In the center of the inside bottom half was a transparent red plastic sheath, overlaying a large lens that was currently inactive.

I had a look of sheer confusion on my face. I could feel my eye twitch violently. Everything added up now. Everything about today: the weather, the berries, the noise, the lost boy, the things I've seen inside this ball... they all made sense.

I straightened up my face and ceased trembling. Turning my face towards the kid's, I calmly spoke the truth:

"You know, this is actually the first time I've ever held a Pokéball. How many've you caught so far?"


	3. Friends of Mine

"Well, I just recently started on my quest. So far, I'm up to 16."_  
16. Well, that may very well explain where he came from... I'd better investigate further._  
"You joined one of those scientific studies, didn't you?"  
"Exactly! I just recently moved to Littleroot with my mother. It wasn't a long drive from Verdanturf, but we have quite a few possessions."  
"I see... so, what's your name?" If I was right about this one, I was right about everything.  
"I'm Derrick. Derrick Kempsey."  
Bingo.

"That's all I need to know. I can already recall the rest. Your collection is a small one, at the moment... you've only put three hours into your excursion at this point, most of it exploratory. You randomly chose one ball from Birch's bag and used it to fend off the wild Zigzagoon that was chasing him. You beat it handily, and were rewarded with the rare specimen you used to do so. That specimen was Mudkip. You decided to call him Kip for short, and have currently captured fifteen other species and gained one Gym badge with his help."  
"You... you know all that?"  
I nodded.  
"How? Tell me how!"  
"Derrick... I know all this because... I created you."  
His eyes trembled. "Wha—"

"Kyle!"  
We spun around.  
"Kyle! We fig— we figured it out!"  
It was my little brother, Adam. He was stumbling excitedly.  
"We saw it! We caught it!"  
"Well, what was it?"  
"It was—" he was breathing heavily— "a Pokémon!"  
"Which one?"  
"Um... I can't think of the name. I think it's called... whatever. Here it is!  
"He handed me a ball.  
"Where'd you find the ball?"  
"In the backyard. There were quite a few there, actually."  
Mom chimed in. "I counted five. And just what's going on here, anyway?"  
"I'm confused about that myself, Mom." I opened the ball. A delirious young Ralts popped out. He stared for a minute at the new face he was seeing, then gave an accepting smile.

I was amazed! An actual Pokémon in our very entertainment-obsessed, technologically preoccupied world? And in Southern California, of all places? It was every ten-year-old boy and girl's vision of perfection in our bored-yet-spoiled world! A respectable excuse for why hard work pays off!

(And best of all, I'd never lose it to the irreparable plight of a dead internal battery!)

But I stopped myself there. I was getting worked up over one appearance. A Ralts, no less. To Derrick, that must have seemed pretty pathetic. But that wasn't the reason he was staring at me.

"They... have never existed here?" His existential confusion crushed my brief joy.  
"Well, no... you see, Derrick, you and your friends, your family, your neighbors, the strangers you've met, and even the Pokémon... they are not, and you are not, real. You're all imaginary. The brainchild of one man with a great idea for a hit video game. 13 years ago, it began. It's been making money ever since."  
"You mean... this world has _nothing_ I'd recognize in it?"  
"Not entirely... the amenities and electronics are mostly the same. The humans still exist, and so do some of the video games you've played. The only major difference is the absence of anything Pokémon related, save the games and their merchandise."  
"So what do you keep as pets, then?"  
"Well, we do still have creatures in this world. They just don't have special abilities."  
"Wow. I guess our worlds aren't so radically different after all."  
"Almost uncanny, huh? Ralts, return." It was my first time actually using a Pokéball.

"Derrick, I'd like you to meet my family. This is my mother; that's Adam, my brother, and my father is at work right now."  
"Hello."  
"Hi!" Adam immediately responded.  
"Kyle, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine, as well." He lifted his shirt slightly to reveal his utility belt, holding six of his close friends inside there little light chambers, idle, unexpanded. One ball was marked with a teardrop emblem on the upper front face. He activated this ball.  
"This must be Kip," I presumed.  
"The one and only."  
_In this world, at least.  
_Derrick released Kip into his hand. He sat patiently, with an energetic look on his face.  
"Looks to be the courageous type." Kip responded with a friendly yip.  
"I think he's going to evolve soon."  
I had held back his evolution for two levels so far. I was going for eight, but... what constituted a B button in the real world? This technological query became a demon of a topic as Derrick spoke his next words...

"So, if I only exist as data in a cartridge, then how did I get here? I seem to recall a white flash in my dreams last night, but other than that, no evidence, nothing! I woke up in the grass in the middle of a park on a university campus!"  
"The same flash appeared to me!"  
"Do you think we..."  
"You might have."  
"We've crossed over dimensions into yours."

Instantly, I inferred the dangers of this predicament. What if all 386 slots had followed them here? What if other games in the series had showed up? Almost 500 species! What if the special slots had a hand in this, too? Bad EGGs? Missingno? We might all have been in imminent danger...

A large bird cried out from the west.


	4. Reforming Health Care

The evening news echoed my joy, curiosity, and fears that day.

"Los Angeles is overrun with strange people who claim to be lost, even going so far as to deduce that they are not from our Earth. The men, women, and children in question have been constantly making references to the hit video game series 'Pokémon,' with excruciating detail. Some even carry articles from the game on their backs and around their waists. Children are overjoyed. Adults are scared; although, some report sightings of the iconic creatures in their own backyards, and have confirmed that they mean no harm.

"This man claims to have captured one himself. He did not give his name, nor did he show us the creature, but he did in fact possess one Pokéball, shown in this scene photograph. His full testimony, later in the program."For now, the LAPD warns us to pander to these strangers at our own risk. A high-ranking officer says, quote, 'This may or may not be real. In fact, until someone brings us concrete proof, we will pass this off as a Halloween prank.'

"To bring in evidence, you can visit any LAPD station. A 10,000 reward is offered to the first one to bring irrefutable proof. For FOX 11 News, I'm Keri Travers."

Everyone must have still been in a daze since this morning, not to report this to the authorities earlier. It was shocking that nobody had yet accepted the reward!

"Derrick!"  
"Yes?"  
"Get Taillow to fly us to L.A."  
"But I don't have the right Badge--"  
"We'll give it a try anyway."_  
The truth must be known._

The flight was not a roaring success. Getting off the ground was one obstacle after another, not to mention our size in comparison to the Pokémon's. Eventually, we acclimated, and were off strong within the hour. The flight was short.

We burst in through the front door of the police station, ready to verbally attack them full force.  
"We need to talk about this Pokémon thing."

Five minutes later, the media was surrounding the station. A podium was moved onto the top of the staircase from a truck. Microphones were pointed in my face from all directions as I walked up to the podium. It was finally my turn to speak to the people. Unbelievable. Just ten hours earlier, all of this was a joke to me; Derrick was just a passing stranger. But now, I was addressing the world. I was raised to world leader status. At least, that's how I felt.

"This afternoon at 12:45 PM," I began, "I discovered that the world had changed. Massively." The crowd grew loud. "But from this change comes concern. We still do not know how far this transformation has affected us. We do not know whether the number of species encompassed by the void is 386, or 488, or worse, even more." I was referring to glitch Pokémon. Glitches were often fatal in-game; I shuddered to think what might happen if they had crossed over with the rest.

A curious bystander queried, "Is this permanent? If not, how long will it take to separate our worlds?"

I was lost on this one. They were treating me like an expert, which I was not.  
"We do not know. But I have a question for you all as well. How many of you experienced a mental white flash as you slept last night?"  
Much of the crowd responded, almost all of the responders between the ages of seven and eighteen.  
"And out of those who responded, how many of you play or have played Pokémon to a decent extent?"  
Everyone who responded to the last question responded to this one. Every last soul.

"It's a perfect storm. You see it? Do you know? That white flash was not a dream. It was a dimensional gate opening. The other world was sucked through your heads to get here!"  
The crowd, although shocked, took this as the only plausible explanation.

"Which brings us to my question," an avid Pokémon fan in the crowd began. "The people and animals from their world were manifested here, but no buildings or non-Pokémon plants were! How are we supposed to heal the Pokémon that get wounded?"

I hadn't thought of that one bit! Healing was one of the most important parts of the game! Resting wasn't going to cut it in this world. We needed the machines. We needed the potions, the heals, the restores and all that. _Wait... pharmacists! They formulate the drugs!_ My mind went to work. _Maybe there's one here..._

"Do we have any apothecaries from the other world in the crowd?" Five people raised their hands. _Perfect._ "Uh... you. Come up here. I have some questions for you." A few minutes of pushing through the crowd later, a young woman of light complexion with brown hair was at the podium. Camera flashes abounded.

"Madam," I began, "tell me, are your medicines mainly all-natural or synthetic?"  
"Well, in our world, they're mostly homeopathic. Some synthetic solutions are being explored, but have not been marketed yet."  
"I see... and what goes into these medicines?"  
"Well, many herbs and spices: basil, thyme, sage, lemongrass, arrowroot... along with surfactants and agar gel, and sometimes, if required, stonedust."  
Stonedust. That would be a natural catch-22 if my suspicions were correct.  
"What kind of stonedust?"  
"Pearl, diamond, moonstone... sometimes gold flakes in colloid."  
All of those could be found on Earth.  
"Excellent... do you have the formulas committed to memory?"  
"By law, I am required to."  
I practically shouted into the microphone. "IT CAN BE DONE!" The crowd went wild with joy.

The press conference wrapped up with a discussion of supernatural defense. When the crowd dispelled, there was only my family and Derrick left. I left the podium and ran to them.

"Mom! Adam!"  
"We drove over here as soon as we heard you were on TV!"  
"Oh, you didn't need to do that!"  
"We figured you might like a quiet, easy drive home."  
"But gas prices--"  
"Bollocks. Let's just go home."  
"Okay. I could use some calm right about now..."

As I got into the car, I saw the silhouette of one last body behind, in the shadows. A pair of eyes glowed violet.


	5. The Wandering Orphan

"Watch."  
I scratched off part of the inscription on a cheap ink pen.  
"I destroyed it. See? Nothing."  
"Nothing?"  
"Yes! I'll do it once more. See the shadows under the letters?"  
"Yes."  
I scratched the letters off. "See? No more shadows. They've been destroyed!"  
"Wow. I never knew you could destroy a shadow. Freaky!"  
"What's to be interested in?" A new voice. "Besides, the shadows don't really disintegrate. Look. The paint flakes off. Wherever the flakes are, they cast a shadow."

The child I had been "entertaining" was freshman Johnny Stebbins, class of 2012. As for this new voice...  
"I've never seen _you_ here before."  
"Just transferred in yesterday."  
"I wasn't here yesterday."  
"I know... Kyle Staunton. I have all of your classes."  
"How do you know my name?"  
"You were the only one absent yesterday."  
"In all seven of my classes?"  
"Wild, isn't it?"  
"But true?"  
"As the sun is bright."  
"Address me when you're talking to me. Lift your head." I normally don't take a commanding tone with others, but paranoia had made me adamant.

I saw one of his violet eyes staring back at me.  
"I saw you at the conference last night."  
"I know. I watched you leave."  
"Why would you come all the way out to Los Angeles? Are you following me?"  
"I was interested in what you had to say. And besides, I was running an important errand out there."  
"A likely story."  
"Isn't it always?"  
We paused.  
"You've got guts, kid. I like that." I was in coach mode now. "What's your name?"  
"I am Esmutus X. Troisen. But my friends just call me Troy." He lifted his head fully now, to reveal both of his violet eyes.

I suppose I should now mention what I neglected to mention earlier. The date is now October 24, 2008. It's 12:45 PM, lunchtime at Estancia High School. And I just made a new acquaintance.

"Happy Friday, everyone."  
"Happy Friday, Ms. Thomson," a few eager boys and girls replied.

Fifth period was economics. It was one of the dullest classes I'd ever have the displeasure of taking. But today would be different, more exciting.

"Seeing as our young world leader, Kyle, has shed some light on this Pokeyman _(ugh...)_ crisis, I've become interested in seeing how things turn out. So today, we're watching CNN."  
The whole class whispered breaths of relief, pleases that today they wouldn't have bookwork to trudge through, and immediately commenced chatting about their jobs, sports news, and fashion.

Half of the class kept their eyes glued to the TV set; some of these people were gamers or Japanophiles, some future servicemen who wanted to take in valuable info and possibly save the world, and the rest were the loners that had nothing better to anyway. People like me.

First came stories about the spiking gas prices. Then there was a blurb about the death of a diplomat of some sort. So it goes. After a quick commercial break came the story of yesterday's big change.

"...scientists have immediately begun researching Pokémon Center healing machinations, in conjunction with the other world's scientists."

_Godspeed. You'll need the luck._  
"So you do care?"  
"Yes. Why would I give a press speech if I didn't care?"  
"You're seventeen years old! You were probably just in it for the publicity."  
"Publicity? Someone like me, who wants to help? Who needs publicity?"  
"You're just like all these other brainwashed fools, feuding over the chance to become a star of some sort."  
"You take that back! I'm an honest man!"  
"You wanna go, Kyle?"  
"I do. I wanna go."  
"I get firstblood." He tossed a Pokéball nonchalantly to the ground.

"Combusken!"  
What he said, happened. A Combusken, fierce and serious, appeared from the ball.  
"Kip, let's go!" With a quick toss, the Mudkip Derrick had lent me was in play. He was pepped; I had taken to upping his protein and iron intake slightly, in order to increase his attack and defense.  
"Water-type. Damn. Cut him up!"  
"Water Gun, Kip! Quench the flame!"

Kip, being a few levels higher, was fast, but did not have the benefits of evolution, which meant he went second. He was bruised a bit by Cut, but Combusken was practically obliterated.  
"One more will bring him down. Use Mud Slap to distract him, then shoot once more!"  
A few jumps and skips later, it was over. I had won.  
"Cesar, call it."  
"Combusken is unable to continue the battle! Kip wins!"

The next second, a punch was hurling through the air toward me. But as it flew closer, time slowed. A voice inside my head was telling me to turn around, and when I did, there it was…

Smack.  
It landed in my open palm. I gritted my teeth, and a purple blast of energy sent Troy flying toward the back wall.  
"Backfire?"  
Troy looked at me vengefully.  
"You tried to kill me with that punch, didn't you? That was no human energy coming from your hand! What are you? Some kind of mercenary from the other world?"  
"Your hand... deflected the blow... but how?"  
Ms. Thomson stared in disbelief as the bell rang.  
"Kyle... this world of yours will not last with us here. Our reality is not meant to be! Only one of our worlds can exist here...

**"ONLY ONE EXISTENCE... CAN BE SET IN STONE!"**

Everything around me went black at that moment. I knew what Troy's mission here was.  
He had decided that for his world to live, my world must be destroyed.

And so, the game had been scheduled to begin. The arena: Earth. The competitors: me and Troy. And every minute of my life from that point was fair game.


	6. The Last Heatwave

For one brief day came the last heat wave of the year.

October 25, 2008 marked the first Saturday on Earth where fantasies became realities at a moment's notice. It was a warm day. A rocket summer, almost. Temperatures would shoot up as high as 95 degrees Fahrenheit that afternoon, even this close to the sparkling ocean.

At six A.M., the festivities exploded. Children woke up promptly after their alarms went off; they spurned their Saturday morning chocolate cereals and cartoons in order to get dresses, to get out, to run around in tall grass and catch wild Pokémon, to try to "be the very best, like no one ever was".

The morning news brought nothing but positives that day. A Pokémon explosion in the sciences had led to the creation of first Earth Pokémon Center healing machine in New York. We were now well on the right track to adapt; this was a step towards integration.

Or was it assimilation?

* * *

After breakfast, I went up to the top of the nearest open hill I could find (which there are not many of in urban Southern California) with a few Pokéballs. I figured I might as well build my army while I had time… the only Pokémon I had to my rightful name was the Ralts that my brother had caught. Kip was not rightfully mine, so I didn't always use him in battle.

As I reached for my water bottle, I noticed that a ray of light on the ground was following my hand movement.

"Huh."

I figured I must have gotten a flake of glitter or aluminum on my palm. But when I looked directly at it…

"What the--"

I was petrified. There, in the center of my hand, embedded as if I had been born with it, was a talisman. It was a swirled stone; a spiral of diamond interlaced with a coil of pearl, all surrounded my a flawless halo of platinum.

"No…"

Apparently, I had been chosen for some sort of cosmic, supernatural-type peace mission. I mean, this sort of things always happens in the movies!… But I was jumping to conclusions. Maybe this was a tool of protection. Something must have aided my in my fight with Troy; a gift from the good forces of the other world, perhaps? Then again, isn't that sort of an alternate form of my first theory?…

I would have panicked, had my fear not been punctuated by the sound of a hidden voice.

"Hello."

I turned. Nobody was there.

"Look down here."

The voice was coming from the grass. I looked down and saw two large brown eyes staring at me. I reached down to pick up the body that owned these eyes.

It was a Pichu.

"You… you talk."

"You understand me? My language?"

"You mean you're not speaking mine?"

I looked at my left palm. The Pichu took notice of the embedded stone, and gazed in wonder.

"You… you're the one! The one who can save this world and ours!" the young creature said with a wide smile.

"This thing… what is it? Do you know?"

"Why, that's the mark of Palkia!"

"Mark of…"

"It is told that the spatial god, Palkia, gives it to one brave soldier of his choice during times of peril in our world."

"So I'm that soldier?"

"Apparently so! I feel so proud for you!"

Maybe the Mark had been uncovered when Troy tried to punch me the day before. Maybe the power within it was what sent him flying to the wall… maybe it was what that voice my head was!

"What's your name?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I'd just like to know."

"Well… I don't have one. Nobody's ever trained me before."

"How'd you like me to be your first one?"

The words excited her thoroughly. "And follow you around on your mission? Absolutely! I'll be your firsthand weapon!"

"I was thinking I'd name you… Lilith. That sounds like a good name for such a confident young Pichu like yourself."

She beamed. "I love it…"

"So it shall be. From this day, you shall be known as Lilith!"

"Wow… a warrior sent by the gods. This'll be so exciting!"

I kept Lilith outside of her Pokéball at most times in the mission. A firsthand should be allowed a certain degree of freedom, anyway.

It was only seven A.M., and I'd already had a day's worth of excitement and wonder. But it was not set to end there. I still had a legion to assemble, after all.

* * *

The next four hours were a blast. I was on fire that morning! Through a discordant routine of parkour, mind games, and exercises in cunning and logic, I turned up with five more Pokémon in my party by lunchtime. And of course, with Lilith at the forefront of the operation, I couldn't lose. She must have grown five levels that day.

By noon, I was dry and hot. Lilith, as well as two of my other captives, were tuckered out.

"Without Pokémon Centers, we'll just have to settle for berries today. I don't carry potions; they're not on the market just yet." I pulled from my backpack a sandwich bag full of blueberries and açai berries.

"We don't have all the berries of your world here. They didn't all drop in with you guys. So instead, I'm going to go by flavor principles. I have here some açai berries. They're rather bitter, and as far as I know, bitter berries cure confusion. But for vitality, you guys need a sweet berry. That's what the blueberries are for. Sweet does heal wounds, right?"

Phanpy was first to respond. "Yes, that's right."

"Okay then! Who's hungry?"

All six Pokémon clamored.

Our lunch went on for a few minutes. I'll never forget them; they were among the most carefree minutes of my life. However, what would traverse after this lazy Saturday afternoon would prove to be the most gut wrenching and disorienting periods of any teenager's life, ever, throughout all history.

I was nowhere near prepared for the onslaught…


	7. How Clear, the View from the Edge

By that evening, I had caught eight other Pokémon total. But unlike in the other world, the superfluities did not get stored in a PC box automatically for future use. I ended up carrying three of them in the pouch with my other items, all the way home.

I walked into the house bruised and itchy from running about in tall brush all day, and had a few bite marks from angry wild species that I had encountered.

"So, Derrick... when the PCs are down in your world, how do you store your excess catch?"  
"Well, we usually just stick them in our pockets, if we have utility belts."  
I did not have one.  
"But in your case... I don't know. Perhaps you could just keep them locked up somewhere safe at home, seeing as you don't usually stray far from here."  
Although I did not yet know how far I was going to go, I abided by this suggestion, lest I run the risk of being a victim of theft.  
"Nice idea. I've got a safe in my room; perhaps that'll fit a good 200 or so of these."

The safe was in a nook in my closet, beside the shelf where I kept my collection of Japanese prints that I had admired for so long. I suppose it would be safe to tell you that the combination to the safe was 75-22-64, followed by AF on the keypad, since the safe was destroyed in the recent World Panic of December 21, 2012. I had bought the safe from an old shopkeeper by the name of Hitoshi, shortly before he died and all of his shop's items were liquidated to the public by the city. How fitting his end should come just after a sale to a bright-eyed hopeful like myself.

I stored my three weakest-by-level Pokémon in the safe, along with the bag of açai berries I had carried with me today.

On the evening news that night was a live shot from the scene of a mass murder. Police had been investigating a mysterious set of footprints that had been scattered across the sand in the area. The left foot was always human. The right foot was not. Possibly an accomplice? A coverup? Or something beyond that?

"This man witnessed the escape of the suspect on foot. He managed to get a quick glimpse of his face..."  
"His eyes were those of a demon, I tell you! The expression on his face was... it was like he was possessed or something! And those eyes... they were violet like the night sky with a full moon out."  
Something told me that Troy wouldn't be coming to school without color contacts from now on.

"Derrick, now's the time I should tell you..."  
"What's that?"  
"I'm taking over as Kip's trainer at this point. While you guys are still with us, I'm going to need his assistance."  
"I thought you might say that. In fact, I've been helping him prepare for this even since you battled Troy's Combusken yesterday... I swear, that little Mudkip knows when something's awry. Anyway, he's level 27 now! And I've been holding back his evolution for you... would you like me to teach you how to do that?"  
"No, Derrick... it's time he moved up. I could use a stronger hand in my efforts."

* * *

Later that night, I flew on one of my captives to downtown Anaheim to examine what had gone down there. There, I saw the two mismatched prints everywhere, illuminated by the street lights, a telltale sign of the activity there. Blood and chunks of bone were scattered in the sand.

"My God... it's like a warzone here."  
I examined the footprints. One human shoe sole was inset to the ground, and beside each one, one monster print completed the stance.  
"Incredible."  
The bodies of more than ten people lay in cold silence, some with their heads missing, some drained of blood, and still others floating slightly above the ground in the shadows. I stepped closer to the shadowed victims. There was nothing holding them up. They had been hung by an invisible noose.

"Psychic rope."  
An aura of darkness wisped from behind me. I spoke clearly:  
"Pretty unique method of homicide, Troy."  
I turned. Troy was standing behind me, staring fiercely.  
"Isn't it?"  
"Seems pretty complex."  
"Not as much as it seems."  
"I'd expect as much from a braggart like you. Have you learned nothing since our battle yesterday?" I tossed a ball tauntingly, then replaced it in my pocket. "But killing humans... on this Earth, you could very easily start a blood feud. Even by just _considering_ murder."  
I flashed the Mark of Palkia at him.  
"So that's how you avoided my trump card... well, then. I truly commend you. It only comes once every eon or so that Palkia chooses a temporary spatial guardian, you know."  
"Troy... if this is all about going home... just let me take care of things. I'll send you home."

The trees fell still. The wind ceased.  
"Send me home? Send _me_ home?"  
His hand was engulfed by a purple flame.  
"Heh. I'll send you TO HELL!"  
He grabbed me by the nape of the neck, and a rushing sensation encompassed every fiber of my being. The next thing I saw was an endless abyss below me. The streets. I looked back, and saw that Troy was hovering in midair, holding me just offside the precipice of a massive skyscraper.  
"This is about **much more** than going home, Kyle. This is about power. This is about CONTROL!"  
I quivered, speechless at what I was seeing.  
"I'm afraid I cannot let you get in my way any longer, Kyle. Regardless of your mission, mine is of a much higher calling...

**"I WILL RULE THIS EARTH!"**

As he dropped me, time slowed to a near halt. The dawn broke over the horizon as the buildings devoured it, inch by inch...

_O orb of life, seen glowing in eternity's hand_  
_How clear, the view of you, from the edge of the Earth._


	8. An Envelope of Rainclouds

…snatch.  
There was always a way out if you had the right tools. Mine just so happened to be a flick of the hand away. And utilizing it was as simple as the press of a button. Within seconds, I was surfing the Sunday dawn on patterned wings.

Troy thought he had won. But I knew more than he could ever know about strategy, whether it be in this world or his. I knew the rules of the road. Come Monday, he'd be in for a rude awakening.

* * *

But when Monday came, Troy did not. He was absent to school.  
"Oh, Troy? He transferred out. Said he was off to wander again…"  
"And you don't find that even the _least_ bit suspicious?"  
"…I don't see the problem there."  
_Is this town really so blind? So jaded, that they can't see what's standing in plain view, directly upon them?_ I wondered. How could it be so?

Then again, we were all confused. It was Monday, and everyone around town was unfocused, demotivated, and emotionally drained at this point.

The sun did not come to school with me that day. It was caught and fastened within an envelope of rain clouds, its light unable to penetrate the squamous prison.

Enter Varis. My long-time best friend and confidant when it came to matters of great stress. He had always been there for me when he saw the look on my face. And boy, did I ever have that look today…

"Kyle? You look disoriented. What's wrong?"  
"Varis… it's phase two."  
"…phase two?"  
"Troy is--"  
"It's about Troy? You know, that kid creeped me out. He was so--"  
"He killed them. He _killed_ those people."  
"…what?"  
"In Anaheim."  
"He killed…"  
I nodded. "He came back to the scene of his crimes. He tried to throw me off the roof of a skyscraper… and now he thinks he's won. He thinks nothing can stop him."  
"But you're the one who's trying to stop him, are you not?"  
"I know, but… I just can't think of a plan! He's just too strong. I'd have to read his mind to--"

An idea.  
"Wait a second." I looked at the Mark on my palm. "Maybe I can…"  
I tried, on that impulse, to read Troy's mind using the Mark. I closed my eyes and attempted to request a mental portal, a vision of Troy's plot…

I saw the Mark glowing through my closed eyelids. When I opened my eyes, I was not at school. I wasn't even in Newport Beach anymore. I was in Los Angeles, and debris was crashing down from the sky. The smoke cloaked everything; it was like a toxic fog.

In the middle of an intersection, shrouded, but illuminated slightly by the sun, was a figure. It was a human figure, but… different. It was about Troy's height. It eyes glowed that same ubiquitous shade of purple. He lifted his arms…

Clap.  
And with that clap, a roaring wind sent a skyscraper tumbling to the ground. The backwind was intense. It scorched my face as my vision faded.

The last thing I saw was those eyes, staring directly at me.

"Yes. I see now."  
"What did you see?"  
"I saw his thoughts. He's going to take out the cities, one by one."  
"When?"  
"I'm not sure."  
"Well, how will you know when to go?"  
"It's up to sheer luck for now. But know this: he's planning to take out all communications first. I heard that go across my ears as I watched him take out the city."

And sure enough, that evening, at 7:35 PM, all communications went dead. Every television network, blank. Local and cable, satellite as well. I checked the phone. Dead. I tried to access the internet. Nothing. The radio was all static.

"Touché, Troy. Touché."

But I was well prepared for this. I went up to my room and opened up a nondescript box in the corner of my closet, opposite the safe. Inside was my emergency source of communication: a shake-to-charge walkie-talkie. I had given the other one to Varis. I figured he'd have it in his hands at this very moment.

Five minutes later, a rolling boom of thunder cut all the lights. I shook the walkie-talkie and pressed the button.  
"See? Silence."  
Varis responded affirmatively. "Natch."  
"Varis, now begins your portion of this deadly mission."  
"You're giving me a part in this mess?"  
"Well, nothing big, but… you're great at keeping track of things. I want to commission a log. A log of this adventure. For memory's sake."  
The rest of my battle with Troy, from this point, has been transcripted from that log. It was Varis's first masterpiece. I still keep the log on my bookcase to this day.  
"Nice. I'll make it the best log I've ever done. I _never_ want to forget this."  
"Good. Meet me at my house tonight at midnight. We've got to begin discussing the interception. We're going to bring his operation down at the source."  
"Roger that. See you then."

Darkness began to invalidate the last vestiges of masked sunlight, conducted and radiated by the vicious storm clouds overhead. Lightning formed a transient grid of light overhead, one that flashed on and off for hours before it began to hail. With no electricity, I had only seconds to prepare for the midnight meeting before I got lost in my pitch-black bedroom.

"I at least hope _this_ is temporary."

As darkness completed its engulfment of the world, I put on a hat with a built-in flashlight and turned the light on. Three and a half hours later, there was a knock at the door. Another light shone from outside. I smiled.

"The Crimson Crusade is go."


	9. Crux of the Eleventh Hour

It took us two days to examine Troy's thoughts thoroughly. Near the final moment, we had interpreted the plan to specific detail, and were able to come up with a perfect counterstrike. By dawn on October 30, we had come up with Operation Pfs-33B.

Basically, our plan was one involving a tactical resetting of every aspect of Troy's, neutralizing his damage before he could inflict it. After analyzing each view from every angle, we discovered that it was quite possible to execute our counterstrike, and in turn, we decided on the final specs for its one and only runthrough.

"He's going to start with us, here in Newport Beach. At 9:04 AM, we have to meet him up front, here, where I will take him on personally. The backups will surround the square while I engage in combat with him. Once he tries to make a move, we attack. He can't get past the human wall I'm building."

None of these events would happen today.

"Are you sure you want to risk your life? I mean, he's not the average man… he's something else, man."

"Yes… something else. But I've tangled with him before. Besides, I've got something on my side he'll never be able to match." I referred to the Mark again.

"Good point… you're not the average man yourself."

I found the plan to be too simple, and bound to fail, but I never worked well under such extreme stress, and Varis was always the uninventive type. Accepting our confusion, we split at dawn.

During school that day, everyone was abuzz about the signs of our coming doom. The electrical storms that had been hovering overhead for the past few days were intensifying as they continued on. Many soothsaying faculty and distraught students had claimed to have seen demons in the sky. Some claimed to have had lucid dreams in which they encountered gigantic hourglasses that were rapidly running empty.

But the biggest topic was me. The one who had given the first expository press conference just days earlier. The only collected, cool, and calm soul in the uneasy crowd.

Undoubtedly, some had heard about the Mark of Palkia; I had told Varis about its powers, and he, in turn, had told a few Pokégeeks about it. The news spread like wildfire around campus, and now here I was the talk of the entire town.

To them, I was a mystery, an enigma. My purpose was still unclear to them. But I knew, Derrick knew, Varis too, that I was justice. I would bring down Troy, the destroyer of worlds.

Lightning crashed in the sky as I rose to a pedestal in front of the library.

"Speech!" the crowd rang out.

And a speech I gave.

"Estancia High students! Tomorrow is our reckoning! I have seen the future, and it is not a pleasant vision. Fire is set to pour down upon us all! The towers, those we have spent such time, money, and labor on erecting, will shatter and crumble to the ground!"

Shifting from preacher to colonel mode, I struck the crowd's pride cords with this segment:

"But there is still hope! With your enthusiasm and effort, we can fight back! We can win! Bring forth your inner demons and revolt! Unleash the power of truth and justice, and bring whatever weapons you have to hold the darkness back! Tomorrow is Halloween! Dress up in costumes! Masks! Outfits! Protect, with me, the future of this world, of yourselves. Remember that if _you_ are killed, if _you_ end, the world ends _with_ you!"

Applause rippled across the crowd. I could tell they were ready for battle. But would we all be enough?

Only time would tell.

* * *

By that afternoon, Kip had grown into a level 38 Swampert. Pidgeotto had grown to level 32, Ralts into a level 40 Gardevoir, and the rest were being treated to a relaxing day off. I now had two eager legions ready to take down Troy and restore the universe to its rightful order. Things were going just right.

But still, I worried. What if my plan were to fail? Maybe I was being too cocky about the whole thing... Troy had strung up innocent bystanders by their necks without breaking a sweat. It would follow as such that he could do the same to these poorly defended students!

But I had to try. Something inside me was pushing for victory. Something inside knew that even in failure, this plan could be turned around to our advantage...

Regardless of the cost.


	10. Contracting the Virus

The first sound heard from a house in Newport Beach, CA, on October 31, 2008, was that of a shotgun being cocked, fired, and subsequently reloaded.

That sound came from my backyard. It was the alarm clock for the entire city that day. And it woke us up promptly at 5:00 AM.

My Halloween outfit was prepared for such a situation. A black trench coat, long and light, would suffice in carrying adequate weaponry and Pokéballs. The Mark of Palkia would shine through a tailored circular hole in a fingerless glove. An eversive pair of black cargo pants would hold two pistols, branded with the Staunton coat of arms. Lilith would sit in the coat's breast pocket, ready to spring out on call.

Rather than go to school today, Estancia's students would march with me down to the town square, where we knew Troy would be. At 9:04 AM, we would surround him; we would rush him, capture him, kill him, if it be needed.

"This is no longer just friendly competition."

Expanding on the previous Operation Pfs-33B we had explored yesterday, I upgraded and renamed the mission Operation Fakeout. Why that name? Primarily as defense. He may have been reading my thoughts, too...

At 6 AM, the legion was outside, prepared to march to what would most likely be their deaths. As I exited my abode, fully packed, everyone stood attention. They were a team of offbeats, at best; their outfits were tattered deliberately, their costumes mostly black, with sharp edges and spines decorating the fringes.

"Soldiers! Now is our time! But before we leave, I must organize you all. Varis! Join me up here. You will be my lieutenant. As for the rest of you..." I held out three fingers, creating imaginary lines between the soldiers. "You will be separated into three squadrons. On the left, Frozensolid! On the right, Hurtbypoison! And directly in front of me, Fullyparalyzed! We will form a triad; when I give the signal, you seal off the intersection on three sides! My Pokémon will take the fourth edge...  
"There will be no surviving traces of the enemy."

Lightning rolled across the sky. My soldiers' faces, veiled in shadow by the dark clouds, all held stern expressions.

At 7:18 AM, there was an explosion. It rattled the entire block. A moment later, there was a rising cloud of purple fire and thick black smoke.

"Is that it, Kyle?"  
"Yes, Varis, that's the one."  
"Frozensolid! The catch begins... now!"  
Frozensolid Squad ran off to the south.  
"Fullyparalyzed! Follow Frozensolid, but turn in the opposite direction at the fork in the road! Hurtbypoison, off to the north, and stand by!"  
The respective squads displaced themselves accordingly. There was a sound of screeching metal being ripped apart.  
"At this point, nobody's been hurt yet. Varis, we make our move _now_. March with me downtown."  
"Right."

As we stepped off the porch, ash began to fall from the sky. It was still warm.

"Varis... if I die, can I entrust you to one thing?"  
"What's that?"  
"The log you've written of this battle... I want you to record that in the Staunton tome as my contribution."  
"But it's forbidden for me to even browse that book!"  
"Varis... a family statute says that if a Staunton male who has yet to record his literature in the tome expects to die before he is able to do so, he has the privilege to entrust that honor to a friend, as well as the right to browse the tome. Besides, I have a little brother. He'll have stories to write."  
"Don't say that, Kyle. You're not going to die."  
"Maybe... but I still feel worried. Whatever. Let's do this!"

And so the time came. 9:04 AM. And, without fail, there was Troy standing in the square. But something was wrong... he wasn't wrecking structures or felling trees. He was standing still.

And he was staring right at me.

"Hello, Kyle."  
"Hi... Troy."  
"I've been expecting you."  
"As I have you."  
"Kyle... would you mind stepping into the intersection?"  
"I don't see why not."  
"Hm."

I stepped into the square; between all the clouds, one swirled overhead, giving way to a beacon of sunlight that glorified me and Troy's location.

"Troy?"  
"Yes, Kyle?"  
"I'm afraid we must end this now."  
"How's that, then?"  
I pulled one of the pistols and put it against his head.  
"You're going to have to die."  
"And I suppose you think I'm going without a fight?"  
"You? Ha! You're defenseless, Troy. Whereas I, on the other hand, have a full army backing me up."  
The three squadrons emerged at three sides of the intersection, and the fourth, my legion of Pokémon covered. They all advanced to block off the exits.  
"Army?"  
"Yes."  
"What army?"  
"Wh-- what do you mean by that? They're right in front of you."  
"I do not see your army. I only see my own."  
"Your--"  
The three squadrons all pulled their guns and pointed them straight at me. Their eyes all glowed violet. I dropped my pistol.  
"Shit..."  
"Now... what was it you were saying?"

I sighed and dropped my head.  
"...OK, Troy. I surrender."  
"Excellent. That's what I thought you were saying." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Master Ball.  
"Get in."  
"What?"  
"Get in the ball. You're on my personal death list now."  
He lunged the ball at me.

Before I could blink, I had been transformed into a mere consciousness without a body, and I was trapped inside the mechanical sphere.


	11. A Foil of Pure Energy

Outside somewhere, Varis, defenseless yet ever present, was lost and confused without the sight of me to follow. His log would most likely trail off here.

Inside my metaphoric cell, darkness. I could only see darkness. I had no eyes. I had no features to behold. I was just a bodyless mind, thinking to itself what could have gone wrong... how could it all end this way? Whoever thought I'd be the loser? Evil never triumphs in the storybooks.

I moped silently. There was nothing to be said or heard inside this infinitely small prison.

But as I considered myself a goner, hope came, in the form of a vindicative young female voice. It rang in my mind:  
"Kyle?"  
And I tried to look around, but remembered that I had no head to move.  
"Kyle?"  
"Who..."  
"Kyle! Are you in here too?"  
"It's you..."

And suddenly, I had eyes. A field of pure white rushed toward me with great speed. A blast of wind reincarnated my nerves, allowing me to feel the air embracing my entire body as the purest of visions surrounded me.

And from the distance, unclear at first, but coming into clearer focus every second, came a yellow figure. It stood no more than a foot high, and it was running toward me worriedly.

"Kyle!"  
"Lilith?"  
"Kyle, you're here too!"  
She jumped up to give me as big a hug as she could. The expression on her face was one of pure ecstatic surprise.  
"You must have still been in my pocket!"  
"Oh, this is excellent! I'm not alone after all!"  
"My sentiments exactly..."  
There was a pause. We faced in the same direction.  
"So this is what the inside of a Pokéball is like..."  
"Well, it's certainly something a human should never have to experience. And this is your first time inside, isn't it, Lilith? Are you feeling okay?"  
"I'm just fine. It's so peaceful and meditative in here. Quite stimulating, to tell the truth."  
"Well, I'm glad to hear that... I'm not doing so well myself. I'm in such a panic."

Lilith gave me a pitiful hug. Despite her minuscule size, she managed to put enough love into it to calm me down.

"Kyle... the short time I've spent in here allowed me to access the secret to finding true inner power. The way to make this desperate prison into your home."  
_What's that? A way to make this void into a home? No wonder these things work so well..._  
"The secret is focus. All it takes is this: forget everything that worries you. Live only for _now_. You can only find your paradise if you learn how to open the map."  
"Open the map?"  
"The only obstacle is the outside world, Kyle."  
"...open the map."

I stopped in that spot, and proceeded to clear my mind. It was as if the clock had struck midnight, and yesterday had washed out to sea forever.  
"Live for now. Forget the past, and spurn the future."  
As I finished that sentence, the Mark of Palkia glowed. I closed my eyes.

When I reopened them, I saw it. The place where this whole thing had started.  
The garden in my backyard.  
Serene water flowed in the single fountain. A solitary koi swam around in an adjacent manmade pond. Short trees swayed in the gentle wind.

"Home."  
For the first time since I last left this garden a week ago, I could concentrate again.  
The rush of energy that resulted was pure, fueling my every cell. It warmed every artery within me.  
"I can see the truth."  
I blinked. When I reopened my eyes, the garden melted around us. The vision that replaced it quickly overtook every sense; the grass was replaced by cold, hard steel, the smell of flowers deviated into the empty scent of free space. In place of the visual candy of plants and stone was a plethora of whirring gears, clinking pistons, and moving bars. And in the center of it all, where I stood, was a transparent red floor. Underneath it was an inactive lens.  
"Everything is lucid. Everything is real. And _there_--" I pointed to a small aperture between two columns-- "is our respite! Our rebirth!"  
My stare alone would have killed a man at this point.

"Lilith... **Thunderbolt**!"

There was a spectacular blast of blue as the lightning crawled up the mechanical walls around us and fried every moving part. The two bolts of electricity collided at the opening, and...  
BOOM.  
Two seconds later, we were in a gray-green, dimly lit room on the top floor of an office complex. Both of my pistols were pointed plainly against Troy's head.

"Troy... now I see everything. I can see through that thin foil of psychic energy you've got hanging around your body. I can see your true form, the one guise you have not been at liberty to show us. I see what you really are...  
**"Deoxys."**

Troy turned to me. He chuckled.  
"Well done, Mr. Staunton. I never thought anyone would be able to achieve what you have... It seems you have been adorned with more than just ornamental power, after all... Unfortunately, that gives me a true reason to eliminate you. And as punishment for your meddling over the last week..." He shed his holographic human form like a cocoon as he walked over to me and grasped me by the head with impossible speed... "you will be terminated in the most painful way possible!"

"I don't think so."  
Deoxys flinched. He stuttered these words as I began to glow:  
"What is this? Your aura... it's impossible! It's so intense!"  
The roof of the building exploded around us. We were now standing under a slate-gray sky, with ominous clouds swirling madly above us.  
"I think you've forgotten, Esmutus X. Troisen..."  
A hole opened up within the clouds.  
"...that I have the **GODS** ON MY SIDE!"


	12. New Year Storm

Time stopped.

Outside. I knew it must have.  
But within this wind tunnel, the storm raged on. Ice pelted us from all directions. I kept my eyes locked on Troy's as my aura wisped about in the intense wind.

"**Now!** I call upon the chronological Pokémon, Dialga! I invoke the power of time, and all the abilities associated! Set us free from the strings of life! Let this battle be unlimited, yet happen in a split second. Neutralize all damage to the innocent!"

The clouds began to glow a royal blue. They swirled infinitely faster as the image of the all-powerful Dialga descended from the torrent, locking itself into a distinct spot in hidden space.

"**Also...** I call upon the spatial Pokémon, Palkia! I invoke the unbounded measure of space, and the privilege to bend it! Allow us an infinite battlefield, so vast as all the universe, if you must, to serve as the playground for our final encounter!"

The Mark on my hand dislodged itself. Palkia appeared from the storm in a swirl of mauve and arranged himself adjacent to Dialga. In the air, the two portions of the Mark separated and implanted themselves into their respective hosts: the pearl half into Palkia's chest, and the diamond half into Dialga's head. The platinum ring, still a part of my hand, swelled itself shut, to form a platinum plug.

"What is this? Where are you going with all this nonsense?"  
I held up my left hand.  
"I was just getting there."

The clouds dissipated, and with great force, submerged into the vast expanse of white space. All that was left was an endless meadow below our feet, and above and around us, white.

"Now, Troy... we end this. I could kill you with my bare hands right here and now, but... you've been exceptionally naughty. For you, I've prepared a special form of permanent expulsion."  
I thrusted my left hand into the air. The platinum plug escaped from my skin and flipped upwards into the negative space above. A chime rang out, signalling victory, bringing on pride...

"I choose you! RAYQUAZA!"

And from the sky came a spectacular roar. It echoed in every direction. Five seconds later, the massive ozone dragon was stationed beside me.

"Rayquaza... Bind him. Constrict Deoxys until every bone in his artificial body is shattered into dust, and don't let go!... I will take care of the rest."

"KYLE! You ungrateful bastard!... don't you want the Pokémon to live? Can't you see that if I die, the conflict between our existences still remains? If it continues this way, dimensions will skew and collapse! The Earth will drown in eternal hellfire! No survivors, Kyle! NOBODY LIVES!"

"...Troy, do you think I hadn't planned ahead?"  
"You mean..."  
"Yes."  
"But how?"  
"Just look behind you."

He turned his head to find a gigantic black hole directly behind him.  
"The dimensional gate... you're sending us home?"  
I nodded.  
"But why do you have to kill me then?"  
"I can't accept what you've done to my planet. To its innocent people. You must be put to justice. It is our will."

Rayquaza shot out towards Troy and Bound him, swiftly proceeding to Constrict him with extraordinary force. The screams could kill a child. They were that pitifully intense.

"Soon you will be but an empty shell, Troy. Your body is becoming useless. Once Rayquaza drops you, I will kill you. I will send your fellow Pokémon home. But you... I send to Hell."

Troy, that most unfortunate Deoxys, began to gag. Rayquaza released his useless body, which slumped to the ground.

"All I have to do, Deoxys, to send you all back home, is channel my aura into the dimensional gate. The altered state of the barrier between our worlds will cause it to engulf all imaginary things and rearrange them into their respective existences."

As I walked up to Troy for the final time, I saw, on his face, for the only time in my life on anyone's face in any world, true regret. True fear. A purely honest plea for mercy.

But at this point... I was not mercy.

I was justice.

"Goodbye, Deoxys. I truly pity you."  
My aura erupted in a glacial blue-tinted flame around my body.  
I lifted my now unmarked hand.

"AURA SPHERE!"

The blast plowed through the absent air. When it reached Troy's head, his face exploded into a splatter of crushed skullbones, brain tissue, and blood. The Sphere continued through space and instilled itself in the portal, causing it to turn a marvelous blue.

What happened next could have been avoided. But it happened. I'm rather not proud of it.  
The portal glitched.

The eternal meadow quaked furiously. The real world reappeared around me, still rushing with black storm clouds.

There was a great flash, and a massive pain...

I was rushing upward into space.

The last thing I saw was my dead body, laying on the top floor of the building, smoldering.


	13. A Brief Transition

"Did I... did I make it?"  
_No, Kyle. You've failed. Or rather, I should say I've failed you._  
"But we were so close..."  
_I wouldn't be so worried if I were you. You've staved off disaster for the time being._  
"But we're all going to die..."  
_No... I daresay not. I believe this can still be resolved. You will accrue absolution. When? I'm not sure. But I see it will be soon._  
"But where is this void taking me? Am I not falling into infinity?"  
_There is an end to everything, Kyle. No space is truly infinite. Just look below you._

"There's wind... oh! The Earth! It's so beautiful from up here..."  
As I fell through the stratosphere, a tear escaped my eye.  
"...thank you, Palkia. For everything."


	14. Impresario Lucidus

"Hello."  
There was no response.  
"Hello. I'm trying to establish contact."  
Nothing.  
"Can you read my voice? Kyle Staunton, ambassador of northwest quadrant, planet Earth, speaking. _Alec see through squalid eye, poised on edge, prepared to die._"  
Test failed.  
"The envelope is still open, Charlie... you can still stick your donation inside..."  
My eyes were sealed shut. I attempted to open them, but only managed to make out a blurry blue sky.

"It's daytime."  
I tried opening them again. This time, I saw everything above me: a magnificent blue sky above, with a gem of a sun overhead, beaming down pure light on me.  
"Well, hey, Saturday sun. You look so happy today... I bet I know why, too. You see, today's November 1. My half-birthday. Yep! I'm 17 and a half years old today, Mr. Sun."

I tried to move my head to the side, but I was almost fully paralyzed. I couldn't move. All I noticed when I flexed my fingers was that I couldn't feel the Mark of Palkia in my left hand anymore.  
"Three strikes... I must be out."  
And with that, I was out. My weakness had overcome my will, and I slipped into slumber.

"Hey."  
A nudge.  
"Hey. Hey!"  
Another nudge.  
"Hey, you! You okay?"  
I opened my eyes as the water had just my body. As I looked up, there was a face staring back at me.

It was a Torchic.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you here before."

"Wha..."  
"Hold on." He shouted offside: "Hey, guys! He's up! He's awake!"  
"You... but..."  
"You sure are lucky, kid. I never thought you'd come out of that coma. You were knocked out! I mean--"  
I promptly interrupted. "Tell me where I am."  
"Where you are? Why, this is Silverside Beach. Population: just us Pokémon."  
"Just us-- wait. Silverside? That name doesn't sound familiar at all."  
"Are you not one of us? Maybe you've lost your memory..."  
"One of you? Take a look. Can't you see I'm human? I'm not even from your world... I don't have any trainer's equipment on. I'm not dressed like a trainer, or even a civilian of your world, in fact. Do you think Silverside rings a bell to an outsider like me?"  
"You say... you're human?"

_Wait a minute..._  
I knew exactly what he was going for.

"Wh... what do you mean by that?"  
"Well, have you seen yourself lately?"

_Oh, no. Oh, NO. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no..._  
Oh, yes.  
_Oh, hell..._

I examined my reflection in the ocean. What I saw staring back at me... was not me. It wasn't even human. In place of all the things I had ever seen in any mirror in my entire life were the features of an animal. My own hands were gone, replaced by something less maneuverable, but certainly with more power per my proportion. My face was not there; appearing instead was that of...

"Riolu. I've become a Riolu."  
"Were you human before?"  
"Absolutely sure of it! I was..."  
"Do you know _who_ you were?"  
"Well, I was a seventeen-year old boy... I lived near the beach in Southern California... with my brother and parents. I don't know what happened, but... a week ago, my world crossed over with yours, and I found myself trapped in this deadly game with a Deoxys, and--"  
"Deoxys? You mean..."  
"So you've heard?"  
"No... but we saw a huge explosion, and a really bright light coming from way off in the distance yesterday morning."  
_They saw it? I must not be far from California then!_  
"That was me... when I shattered that Deoxys, I tried to send you guys back through the rift, and..."  
"You tried to spare us from infinite doom, right?"  
"...yes. You see now."  
"That just proves it, kid. You were given a second chance. There's a reason you're here. There's a reason you were brought back as the kin of our hero..."

_Kin of our hero?_  
Then I remembered... in one of the games, Lucario, which evolves from Riolu, is a hailed near-god of exploration.  
"Oh, yeah... do you think I might have the kind of skill Lucario does?"  
"At exploring?"  
"Yes... I mean, there has to be a reason Palkia sent me here in this form--"  
"Palkia? The god of all space? Sent you?"  
"Well... he watched over me as I journeyed to defeat Deoxys and send you home."  
"Awesome." The Torchic's eyes lit up.

I knew there must have been a method to the madness. After all, all other things I had endured up to the fight with Troy had gone unspoiled. Palkia's plan involved exploration, and I knew it...

I felt elation as I pondered this. My aura flared up a content violet color around me.

"Whoa. You think I might be able to..."  
"Channel that aura? I don't know... it usually takes any Pokémon a load of practice."  
Except Lucario. It learns the move Aura Sphere earlier than any other species. In fact, I recalled my fight with Troy...  
"I did actually manage to shoot off an Aura Sphere as a human, when I was fighting Deoxys. I guess my rage had delimited my abilities."  
"That's so amazing, I can't find the words to say."

There was a much-appreciated pause.

"It's so beautiful out here..."  
"Yeah..."  
"Well, who were you talking to back there?"  
"The townsfolk, of course! They were worried about your safety."  
"Serious?"  
"Absolutely... would you like to meet them?"  
"Let's start with you, man... what did you say your name was?"

"I'm Hektor. Hektor Herzog."  
"Kyle Staunton. And it's a pleasure to meet you, too."


	15. Slipping into Place

My conversation with Hektor intrigued the young fireheart. He decided to lead me into the woods on the mainland of Silverside Island to meet his friends.  
"You'll be safe with us while you figure out what it is you were sent here for."  
_While I'm walking, I guess I should figure out whether I've gained any ability..._  
I stretched out my new body, trying to get a feel for what to expect.  
_Well, I've certainly got a lot more fighting spirit._  
Not surprising; Riolu's a Fighting type.  
_But what about sensing aura? I mean, I emanate a great deal of it..._  
Seeing as it would be a necessary step toward getting out of here, I decided to practice my skill with aura as a priority.

"Uh, Kyle?"  
"Huh?"  
Hektor was fifty feet off from where I was.

"Oh... sorry, Hektor. Guess I got carried away with my doubts."  
"If there's one thing I've learned, Kyle, it's that doubt gets you **absolutely nowhere**. Try before you cry."  
"Try before... oh!" Those words registered in my mind instantly...

My father would always say that to me.

"You're right, Hektor... you're absolutely right."  
Hektor stood a bit befuddled for a second, seeing a single tear fall from my eye.  
"You okay?"  
I snapped out of it.  
"...fine."

* * *

"You ready, Kyle?"  
"Are we here?"  
"After we clear these trees, we'll be in Lunaglace Town. Center of all Pokémon commerce and society on Silverside."  
_A town... just like in that Mystery Dungeon game. I must be making all the right assumptions here..._

Through the border tree was a relatively dark dirt path. It was shaded almost completely by the huge banana tree leaves overhead.  
Or were they Nanab Berry trees?  
Either way, the path's light grew stronger as we reached further toward the town. Eventually, we came to a huge clearing, interspersed with very organic-looking buildings. The light of the sun shone like a halo over the town, with the outskirts completely shrouded in darkness. It was as if Lunaglace Town was the only receiver of light on the mainland.

"Whoa... it's like the jewel set in the keystone, this place is."  
"The location was chosen for this particular reason. It's said that long ago, a lone Shaymin established this town by clearing a crescent-shaped area of all the weeds that plagued it. The soil was enriched over time, and the buildings started popping up over time. The town was named Lunaglace not only because of its shape, but because we have the clearest view of the moon on the entire island. Occasionally, it's said that Cresselia shows up here to bless the town."  
"Pretty elaborate history."  
_Pretty cliché, too..._

"So who was standing on the beach with you when you found me, Hektor?"  
"Why... that was my exploration team. We call ourselves Positerra."  
"Hektor! Oi! Hektor!"  
"Ah! Here they come now, Kyle!"

We stopped in front of a great storage facility. The operator was at lunch, so the hustle of the town continued around the building rather than within it. From just off the path came a very excited-looking Pikachu, along with his teammates, an Absol with a serious look on it face and a Wynaut that seemed to have a lot on its mind.

"Felix! Mina! Iver! Hey!"  
They all ran toward each other. I stood there, seemingly confused, but actually taking in this info with great care to detail. I'd need it in the future, most likely.  
"Hektor, sir! Status report?"  
"Well, friends, I've determined that the lost Riolu you see before is not a Riolu at all... he's human. He's known as Kyle."  
There was a stunned murmur amongst the team.  
_I think I have the right to cut in now..._  
"Ahem... indeed I am. But I was brought here in this form. For what reason, I am almost completely sure:

"I'm sending you guys home. Your whole world, even this island."

They had that look on their faces: one of regret. Sorrow. Vindication of a prophecy of doom.

"So we were right... that explosion we saw just off, over there... was land-based. There was never land there before. Our island was spit out somewhere else on the globe after all!"  
"Kyle managed to confirm that for me... he was the source of that explosion. He says he's from California."  
"California? That means we're all the way on the eastern Pacific Ocean!"  
Hektor nodded. "It's true, then... our two dimensions have crossed over."  
"That's right, you guys... and I was sent here to resolve the rip in the dimension. I was recruited by Palkia for the job."  
The Pikachu responded. "Palkia? _The_ Palkia?"  
"Yes."  
"Oh, my... this really _is_ big. If you don't do this, what will happen?"  
"We... we all die. Our dimensions will conflict, and we'll be thrown outward into oblivion."

Another eerie silence.  
I had gotten sick of them by that point.

"Well, then... Kyle... do you know where the dimensional gate is?"  
"I have no clue where it's been moved to at this point."  
"Then this looks like a job... for Positerra."  
The Pikachu held his paw out to me.  
"Whaddya say, Kyle? Would you like an opportunity to be in one of the highest-ranking exploration teams this year?"

Examining my options, it was either accept this, or go it alone finding the gate. If I went it alone, who knows what I'd be able to accomplish... but only on land. What about taking the sea? The dimensional gate could have been out on another island, for all I knew... I was sure these guys had connections that would get me out there. And even if they didn't... that was still a bigger lead than I had if I went alone.

I had to decide...  
And I chose...  
To shake that hand.

"I accept."

"Welcome to Positerra. Membership: 7, including your friend Hektor; me, Felix; the Absol right here, Iver; and this Wynaut, known as Mina."  
"Who are the other three members?"  
"We can't disclose the whole team roster in the open, kid! We've got a code to follow..."  
_Great. More suspense._  
"So, Hektor! We gonna finish the mission?"  
_A mission? Now?_  
I was bedraggled. "What mission's that, Felix?"  
"Oh, that's right. Kyle's just now joining. We gotta brief him on this mission!"  
Hektor: "Go ahead. We'll finish the mission."

"Kyle... we're going after Missingno!"


	16. A Glitch in the System

November 4, 2008. Three days after I had met Positerra and joined their ranks as an explorer, I was off on my first and only true mission.  
Matter of fact... to call it a mission, per se, is a bit arrogant to me. It was more of a journey, a task, if you will.

As the dawn broke back on the beach, it became clear to me that the fog was unusually thick, even for the ocean climate we were in.  
"Hektor... what's with this fog, anyway?"  
"Let's just say, it's how we know today's the day we do this."  
"...does it only appear in the fog? Or does it cause the fog?"  
"We're not sure. But we were told that fog is an omen. It's the signal to go for it."  
"Well, that seems awfully vague."  
"Not coming from Vlad, it isn't."  
"Vlad?"  
"VLAD!"  
From not too far off, a voice responded. "Yes, Hektor?"  
"What'd you say about the fog again? Come explain it to Kyle here."  
"Sure thing! Hold on."

A minute later, a very orderly-looking Gabite was approaching us.  
"Ah, Vlad, there you are."  
"Naturally. But I must express my disappointment, Hektor. I'm very busy right now…  
"Busy? What with?"  
"I'm making Secretpotion from my scale. If I manage to make enough, we'll have enough medicine for thousands of missions to come!"  
"Excellent initiative! I wouldn't have even thought of it…"

I jumped in, seeing as the conversation was beginning to lose its track.  
"Wow, Vlad… that's awful generous for your kind. Gabites are usually pretty stingy."  
"I beg to differ, kid. When I joined this team, I knew I'd be an asset to them in one way or another… I guess, as a Gible, I was just inclined to be nicer than most."  
"No surprise there."  
"No kidding. Now where was I… oh, yeah. The fog. Well, Kyle, you see this fog around us? It's not seasonal. It just comes and goes. Sometimes for an hour, sometimes for weeks. But when it comes, there's always a silhouette following it. A shadowy figure running through the tall grass, dashing about until it finds a cave or dungeon to settle in and rest. That's when the fog lifts."  
"So you think this figure is Missingno?"  
"Well, that's the theory. It very well might just be some Ghost-type roaming around. But get this: wherever it settles, a white flash erupts from the same night. The flash was EXTREMELY bright on the 23rd."  
"Wait… a white flash? October 23?"  
"So bright, it was said to illuminate—"  
"People's dreams?"  
"Yes… how did you—"  
"THAT'S IT, VLAD!… Missingno is who brought you guys here. It must have settled in a cave with some form of dimensional alteration installed within it."  
"Come to think of it… October 23rd was the night it settled in Corpus Luminus…"  
"Where is that?"  
The Gabite stood up tall and looked around, trying to remember. When it did, it pointed with such fierceness that it looked as though he were sending a platoon into battle.  
"_There_."  
The direction he pointed in was toward a dazzling rock on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, about a half mile off.  
"So we need to cross the channel."  
"Yes."  
"And can any of us Surf?"  
"No."  
"Fly?"  
"Unfortunately not."  
"…Teleport?"  
Felix shook his head. Iver followed suit.  
"So how do we get over there?"  
Vlad smiled a mischievous grin. He snapped his fingers. As the snap echoed, everything else went silent.

From the depths of the sea, a great mound came up slowly, increasing in size as the water slid off its surface liter by liter.

A Wailord. Comparable in size and length to our Earth whales, this one came in at over 40 feet long.  
And it was coming our way.

"Ah! Here we go now! Positerra, assemble! We're off to Corpus Luminus!"  
We boarded our "ferry" and sped off promptly.

As the clear blue ocean passed us by (and yes, this water was quite clear; Newport Beach is known for their clean ocean), the sky seemed to glow brighter. The sun, directly overhead, shone like a frighteningly luminous pearl, ever present, never ceasing. The rushing colors created a euphoria so deep in me, I almost passed out from feeling so high._  
What is this sensation?_  
Everything was illuminated with a distinct and foreign color scheme._  
It's like I'm drifting through heaven…_  
I figured my aura emanations, along with my developing psychic abilities, were starting to kick in and create this glorious hallucination of perfection around me. As the colors started to fade, I realized we had reached our destination.

"And here it is…"  
"Isle Corpus Luminus. What was once the cradle of the Gear of Time long ago, now houses an even greater power…"  
"The power to hold the universe together?"  
"Indeed."  
"…so why is it left out in the open like this?"  
"Well, it's not exactly open to the public… only elite exploration teams can get in. Us, and of course, the occasional master thief or criminal genius…"  
"Or Missingno?"  
"Apparently so. It must have the power to traverse walls, or shift them, or bend the space around itself."  
"Like Palkia…"  
"Exactly…"

"So… what ranking is this team, again, Hektor?"  
"Well, Positerra is a high Silver Rank… if we complete this mission, we were told we'd be promoted instantly to Platinum." Hektor had a regretful look on his face.  
I cringed. This was apparently going to be very dangerous.

I feared for our safety that evening. What if Missingno meant us harm by doing this? What if it could end our life right when we stepped up to face it?

Either way, I planned to take down any obstacle; but to do that, I'd have to learn to use the Aura Sphere again…


	17. The Piezopsychic Conundrum

Upon arrival at Corpus Luminus, I measured my options carefully. Throughout the thick fog was an aura I couldn't pinpoint, dashing left and right, through bushes and brush, unsure of direction or spatial connection between objects.

My options were very few: I could either face Missingno head-on, or train myself to reuse the Aura Sphere, therefore killing two birds with one stone; if I could do that, I could take down Missingno _and_ reopen the dimensional gate.

But before I could decide, I needed to know where said dimensional gate was being housed.  
"Felix? Iver?"  
Iver responded. "Yes, Kyle?"  
"Do you happen to know where the dimensional gate on this island is? I mean, you can sense danger, and all…"  
"Danger, yes. Intergalactic energies, not so much. All I know about Corpus Luminus is that the caves emit this strange white glow sometimes… one that grows stronger when the Missingno settles here."  
"So it's in there… we just have to find it ourselves."  
Iver nodded intuitively.

That afternoon, I decided it was time to hone my aura channeling skill.  
Only trouble was, my mind was haunted constantly by the scope of the whole situation.

As soon as I found my position and began to meditate, I was instantly interrupted by corrupted images in my head. The squirming layers of my negative past surfaced; each facet struck at my mind like a dagger to the flesh. Over here was the day this whole thing began. It simply flashed, condescending, taunting me to go in deeper, no matter how hard I tugged on my consciousness to prevent that.

But it failed.  
Soon enough, I was caught in a deep field of mixed emotion and mental struggle. Thoughts dashed around my mind like electric sparks.  
It was impossible to concentrate.

And worse yet, the anger I felt struck me in each mental wall. My defenses were breached. My guard was being broken down further with each passing second.

_Not to fear, Kyle… not to fear…_  
I focused on one thought.  
The thought of my mother, waiting for me.

"Kyle… I made your favorite dinner."

_Further… further…_

"Kyle… your mother misses you. Your father, too… and Adam."

_Bleed it all out… block all the interference…_

"Kyle! The sky's collapsing, Kyle! IT'S NOT WORKING! IT'S—NOT—"

_NOW!_

I opened my eyes.  
Around me was my aura, drifting in one direction, practically magnetized.  
It was flowing toward my hands.

_I feel…_  
It was just the feeling I had when I destroyed Troy. Pure focus. Energy flowing down a distinct and static path.

_And now…_  
Everything went totally black as I pinpointed that certain area of focus I wanted to achieve.  
A spark invaded my visions, almost winged, almost hovering.  
And then…  
Nirvana.  
Truth.  
Purity.

And there it was.  
A sphere, between these two false hands of mine, exact and unblemished.  
And it was at my own will that I had created it.  
No Mark of Palkia assisted me.  
No adrenaline rush boosted me.  
It was from pure thought and pure focus.

For the rest of that quiet evening, I marveled at my creation, letting it go only when I was certain I could do this again.


	18. Nine Falling Stars

That same night, there was a meteor shower.  
It was not readily visible from where we were, but it was our best bet away from the light pollution of the big cities nearby.

However, in the chaos of the starlit sky, I managed to catch a faint glimpse of nine falling stars.

They came down one at a time, sporadic, never in any given pattern.  
Each one was a clear and present streak of purity across a tainted canvas, the speckled night sky.  
And as they appeared, I counted them curiously.  
On top of having this unfamiliar body to walk around in, I was nowhere near home, and I often wondered:

_Have I since been forgotten? Left for dead, even totally wiped from memory?_  
_What happened to my human body? Is it still lying on that top floor back in Newport Beach?_

"One."

"...Kyle?"  
I looked over my shoulder.  
Nobody was there.

_Can you hear me?_  
"...I can."  
_And who might you be?_  
"...a friend."

_Lilith... I knew I could count on you._  
"Two."

"Two what?"  
The voice came from directly to my left.  
It was Lilith.  
That calm and collected young Pichu had saved my life once. And now there she was, standing next to me, as casual as ever.

"Oh... I was just counting the falling stars."  
"Is that right?"  
"Indeed. There was supposed to be a whole slew of them tonight, but... the city lights over there have blotted all but... THREE out."  
"Light... I've always found it spoils the mood of a night."  
"Yeah... it all depends where you are. Where you live."

"And speaking of location, Lilith-- FOUR-- why do you keep following me, anyway?"  
"Kyle... I've grown quite attached to you."  
I turned away.  
"Attached, eh?" I couldn't help but sound a little unsettled there.  
"Oh, Kyle. I don't mean it like _that_..."

Suddenly, there was a bright, violet-white glow behind me.  
"I mean... I've sorta become your guardian angel..."

"Five."  
It was off to my right.

I turned back around to face Lilith.  
But what I faced was not familiar.  
It was not the form of a Pichu that I took in with my eyes now.  
It was that of a Mew.  
And there it was, hovering in my line of sight, peering innocently into my mongrel eyes.

"You... you're not really..."  
_I never was, Kyle. Not in reality._  
"So... that's how you were always able... how you always knew..."  
_Normally I wouldn't... but you, Kyle, were chosen._

Six.

_Listen, Kyle... I know you're nervous about tomorrow night. But believe you me, this is a most urgent matter you're tending to. The fate of the UNIVERSE is in your hands. Even if it is just fixing this tiny glitch in the system... you're doing our world a major charity, and your own world, even more so. I believe in your confidence, Kyle. I believe in your skill._

_I believe in YOU, Kyle._

Still stunned from seeing, but not being able to fully grasp Lilith's true form, I nonetheless took in her plea.

"Lilith... I will not let you down. You or your world. Nor this planet Earth I live on. I WILL take on this final ordeal!"  
Seven.

There was a long silence. Lilith stared at me with joy in her blue eyes as I gave her a look that spoke a fitting farewell.  
Eight.

"So... this may be the last time you see me, Lilith. In this form, or any other. If I succeed, you and all that lives, has lived, and ever will live on your world will follow you back there. But if I fail... we all die."  
_No matter what happens, Kyle... I want you to know that I will be hoping for the best case scenario the whole way through._  
"And if I should fail?"  
_There's no guilt in it. As long as you try... my task has been performed just as planned._

This was the last time I ever saw her. But before I retreated to camp with the rest of Team Positerra for one last day, I left her with these closing words:

"Good choice, kid. Keep hope alive."

Nine.


	19. Further Into the Autumnal Chill

The next day, the team and I awoke sometime after 2 PM.  
Quite late, indeed, but we were, undoubtedly, fully rested for the intense journey that followed.  
Yes... we were at the face of the Cave of Lies.

On Corpus Luminus, there were three entrances to the center: the Cave of Lies, the Cave of Discord, and the Cave of Corruption. Each one had its own deadly perils housed within, so we'd need to keep on full guard at any given second.  
As for me, I'd been feeling this inner magnetism, one that was pulling me wildly toward the center, trying to break the inhibitions that were keeping me safe.

"Kyle! Geez, you're gonna get yourself killed if you sprint off into the caves!"  
"Oh... sorry, Mina, it's just that something inside me is... well, it's telling me where to go. Just drawing out a distinct map in my mind."  
Mina's everpresent smile became sincere. "That's excellent! I mean, you already know that Riolu evolves into Lucario..."  
"And Lucario's an expert at this sort of thing! I get it it now! It's all instinct..."  
Mina nodded.

Hektor called us to order as we hitched up our supplies.  
"Team Positerra... we have been awarded a golden opportunity here. One which, if successfully followed, will bring us glory! A seat in the dreamscape of all the citizens of Lunaglace Town, and beyond that! So do you see? It's not an easy A, but if we give it our best, I'm sure we'll pass this trial!"  
Although cliché, those words had never been as true to me as they were at that instant.

As we descended into the deep blue bioluminescent glow of the Cave of Lies, we were greeted with a deep silence. The moss spoke no curses and took no offense. The hanging stalagmites casually stood dormant as single drops of clear water fell from them.

It was every Hollywood-fabricated dungeon rolled into one real package. Only difference here was that you'd stop to admire the beauty of the elements.  
Bats flew around in pure darkness. Whether they were real-world bats or one of the Pokémon species, I was unsure.

Iver paused and turned his head. I was the first to notice.  
"You okay, man?"  
"Something's drifting about the walls... first it's here, then way over there, and then... I can't follow it. It just darts about."  
Felix came forth with some strong advice: "It's best not to follow uncertainty. We just have to get to the center and destroy said uncertainty from the inside out."

As I led the troop further into the Cave of Lies, the path split. And split once more. And again. Soon, we were on the sixth of seventeen slim pathways to who knows where. The force guiding me forward grew stronger still, and I began to advance at a respectable rate of speed.  
"Vlad... you finish that Secretpotion?"  
"I've had it ready since last night. It's good to use now. Why do you ask?"  
"I get the feeling we're going to need it after we get through this chamber."

Everyone looked up. There, staring us down from within the chamber, was a gang of Shelgon, in position to attack us. Their fierce glares told us to turn back, but they had no idea who they were pushing...  
"We can take them."  
Everyone must have felt the same energy I was, because they were all wearing their game faces.  
"ONWARD!"  
It was an all-out barrage of attacks, from shocks to flames and pulses of energy, punches and kicks and bone-crunching assaults, as our party took the other on.

Needless to say, our motivation pulled us through. The Shelgon were happy to have been formidably challenged by us, and we got to continue onward toward the center chamber. We were all happy.

Somewhere, a few hours later, the glow appeared.  
"Hektor! Vlad! Mina, Felix, Iver, come look!"  
Through a crack in the chamber wall, a bright, mint-cream colored glow was twinkling.  
A shadow moved across the wall, darting left and right.  
"We must be close! Kyle, you are the MAN!"  
And I could feel it, too. For a split second, a shape within the glow flickered.  
The shape was that of my bedroom, in my home, back in Newport Beach.

We rushed through the remaining pathway chambers with ease. Here, the pathway was wide and quite clear. As the glow grew stronger and brighter, so did my hopes. Now came the final chapter in my struggle. Now was the time to fulfill Palkia's prophecy.

* * *

After a short while, we came to a dead end.  
"Hey... the pathway ends here."  
"But that's impossible... we followed the glow here, didn't we?"  
"Indeed... but it's totally dark in here! How did we end up in darkness?"  
My ear twitched.  
"Wait a second... we passed up the center chamber."  
"What?"  
"I'm serious. Step back a few paces, you guys."  
We all stepped back, and the flow of light became abundant again.  
"But that's impossible... light doesn't work that way!"  
"You're not looking deeply enough into the light..."  
I turned to the left. There was a stone wall there, but judging by the beam's shape, I could tell the light was coming from within.  
"Here..."  
I put my hand on the wall. It went through.  
"A... decoy wall?"  
"Yes. This is the door we must take to the center. Everyone! Through the stones!"

As we entered, we saw it clearly.  
The room, filled thoroughly with the mint-cream white light, had a very high ceiling. It was like a cathedral inside.  
And there, in the center of the flawless chamber, was a limestone dais. Upon the dais was a perfectly crafted arched door. And the white glow was coming from within it.

I advanced toward the dais.  
I closed my eyes and focused deeply...  
When I opened them, an Aura Sphere was in my hand.  
And in front of me, a shadowy creature was standing, looking confused.

"Missingno..."

The creature blinked.

"Missingno... go through. I can't send you home unless you're willing to go."

Hesitantly, the shadow creature turned back and faced the light. Then, with a leap, it was gone.  
"And now... absolution."

I charged toward the doorway, yelling my final battle cry as I leapt into the still air, holding the Aura Sphere forward.  
My confidence was unbreakable at this moment.

And then, the light shelled itself around me. But it wasn't the light of the gate.  
I felt my body change.  
I felt my mindset becoming much more focused on this task.  
When the light dissolved, I saw that it was not Riolu's paw stretched out in front of me.  
It was Lucario's.

"He just..."  
"He's become..."  
"It's... wow..."

The team was exclaiming in whispers at what they saw. I had evolved in midair, and now, I was going straight for the light in front of me.  
And then, I hit the gate.

I passed into the glow.  
And I looked once more at my hand.  
It was no longer Lucario's hand.  
It was my own hand. My human hand.  
And as the rest of my body passed through the doorway, it became human as well.

I let go of the Aura Sphere.  
The mint green light became a pure shade of white. It began to consume me.  
As I floated through the subspace, a voice rang out in my head...

_Kyle..._  
_You've done it._  
_The worlds are separating again. Order has been restored._  
_Now go, my assistant, and return to the life you once had. The easy and simple life of a teenage boy._

"Palkia... it'll never seem easier after all I've seen these past two weeks."

The light absorbed my form. Everything became a complete blur.

As I drifted along, my consciousness grew dim.

And then, there was nothing.

Nothing but light.


	20. Quietus at the Airport

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

It was the first non-organic sound I'd heard for a week.  
The sound of my alarm clock, waking me up on November 7, 2008. A sunny Friday morning.

Click.

I looked out my window and remembered back to October 23. The most beautiful morning I had ever seen.  
This morning was a blank canvas compared to that masterpiece of nature.  
But reality is never too beautiful. If it were, would we have anything to expand on when fantasizing?

But this visually bland morning contained something almost never found in fiction:  
Sanity.  
Sweet, sweet normalcy.

But normalcy can be occasionally punctuated by a special occasion.  
Today contained one important event that I'd never forget...  
The day Varis, my trusted friend, would leave for Montreal.

For you see, Varis was moving in with his cousin in Montreal for a couple years. It had been brought up in school a few months back that he'd be leaving, but I hadn't thought much of it, as I was consumed by the doldrums of everyday routine. It was only when I was in absolute peril, just a week or so ago, locked in battle with Troy, that I realized the true value of amiability. Of friendship, and courage, and loyalty.

The note lay on my desk as it had for the past two months:  
"Departing from LAX at 14:00. Expect to arrive at YUL about 18:00 PDT. Or PST, if Daylight Savings is over by that date. Hope to see you there to see me off."  
On any average day, I'd rip up the note and give him a phone call and a "good luck".  
But today, I was compelled to head out there. I mean, he'd been so kind as to log the mayhem that had haunted our city. It was the least I could do for him.

"Speak of the devil..."  
The logbook was sitting right there on my chair, with a note attached:

Dear Mr and Mrs. Staunton,

I have but one token to appeal to you after the loss of your son, Kyle.

Here, within these two cardboard covers, is the full chronicle of Kyle's heroism,

From the inception of the Crimson Crusade blueprint to its execution on October 31.

The consequence of the situation was dire... the body was found dead atop a skyscraper at 5:07 PM.

I deeply hope this full script of the adventure soothes your broken souls.

With hope and respect,  
Varis

* * *

It was on the way to LAX that I made the biggest mistake I'd ever make in my entire life.

"Mom... did I do good?"  
"On what, dear?"  
"At saving the world. The universe, even."  
"Oh, Kyle. Is this another one of your story ideas?"  
"...what?"  
"Well, you're not serious, are you? All you've done good at over the last few months is ace all your math tests."  
_The hell?... She doesn't remember?_  
"But... what about last week? Didn't you know I was gone?"  
"Gone? You were right here! In your room, doing what you normally do on school nights. You went to the District with Varis on Saturday."  
_The dimensional separation... it must have caused an alternate reality._  
_But then... why don't I remember any of that alternate activity?_

The mistake I made was not asking the question.  
The mistake I made was trying to justify what I remembered.  
For you see, I was a glory hog. I saved the universe. What greater glory is there than saving the universe?

I didn't bring the subject up again throughout the drive.

* * *

When I arrived in the airport terminal, I stopped dead.  
Varis was standing there expectantly, directly across from the entrance, the threshold of his view punctuated by passer-bys.

We walked toward each other and met in the center. Then we walked to gate 23.  
We stood and glared at each other, as if facing off in a final battle to determine who would receive ultimate honor.

"Varis."  
"Kyle."  
"You left me for dead. You all did."  
Varis's concentration was instantly broken.  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"The logbook."  
I handed him the notebook with the note still pinned to it.  
"...I wrote this note?"  
"That's your handwriting."  
He opened the notebook and flipped through a few pages.  
"...this is ridiculous, Kyle. Pokémon? Something like this would never happen."  
_He... he thinks it was a fictitious chronicle that he wrote!_  
"I wrote this as a fanfiction last month."  
"But then... why'd you give it to my family? With this note attached, no less?"  
"Halloween prank, man. Just wanted to give your parents a good scare while you were out. Don't you remember? You laid low that night at a hotel as a follow-through."  
_Shit! This reality's all been planned out! It's seamless!_  
_Damn you, Palkia! I must look like a total jackass now!_

He handed back the logbook.  
The intercom called for the immediate boarding of flight 244 at gate 23 to Montreal.

"Well, Kyle, I hope you get your head back together soon... you're acting kinda creepy."  
God, how I wish I'd taken that advice.

"Goodbye, Varis. And one more thing..."  
"What's that?"  
"If you try poutine, tell me how it tastes. I've always wondered, and I want to hear it from someone I trust."  
We both giggled.  
"Can do, kid. Well, I'm out! Enjoy the rest of this year without me!"  
"Farewell, Varis!"  
I said this with an uneasy look on my face. How could I live with myself now? One selfish side of my personality was bearing down on me, but my conscience failed to act against it. I was torn in two.

The quiet that followed the departure of my friend was so heavy, I almost collapsed.


	21. And it All Amounts to Nil

My life became excruciatingly normal after that incident.  
It was tough to explain it: I'd felt this way before, breathed in the dull air of routine and drudgery, but it had never been as intense as just then.  
My days and nights became linear; there was no variation to my schedule now.  
It was all work, rest, and work again.

Needless to say, I took it too far. My downfall was imminent sooner or later.

But I did strive to choke down the lack of activity for a week or so beforehand.  
By the 13th of November, I was bored out of all reason.  
Normal for any teenager, really. But for me, it was much more of a struggle.  
The selfish fact remained that I saved the ENTIRE UNIVERSE from destruction.  
And nobody knew it now. Nobody believed it happened.

November 14th was the second Friday I spent back home after the dimensions were separated.  
Now, with Varis gone, I had receded into my proverbial shell, becoming a recluse at school. Nobody worried about me. Nobody even bothered to talk to me anymore at that point. They all just bought it and moved on.  
Secretly, I was aiming for pity. But who'd ever give pity to someone who didn't deserve it? They didn't know my plight. They were kept in the dark...

So I pitied myself. It wasn't really worth it.

That evening, I thought about the Staunton tome again. I wondered if I was ready to write my story yet...  
As it turned out, I wasn't. The turmoil I had within my mind wasn't scraps of good fiction. It was just a jumble of sentences and words that made absolutely no sense, no matter how they were arranged.

If you could even call my method of sorting them out "arrangement".

I settled my case after setting the Staunton tome back on the bookshelf, next to the old book of Japanese prints.

"It's nice out tonight..."  
I looked out the window one last time.  
This would be the last time I'd look out that window in my entire life.  
After this point, there was no turning back. I couldn't go home again.

"...I'm going to kill myself."

* * *

The time was 10:23 PM PST, Friday, November 14th, 2008.

"**GLORY!**" The yell was the most intense yell I'd ever yelled as a teenager.  
"Kid, what are you doing up here?"  
"Fulfilling my destiny! Going out like I should have!"  
"You're committing suicide?... Whoa, kid! Stop!"  
I inched my way to the edge of the 900-foot-tall edifice. It was now or never. There was no in between.  
"I'm serious!... I'm sure people have called the cops by now! You're gonna get taken away!"  
"No... I will be first. I always make my move first."  
I saw a tinge of my aura erupt from my skin, but nothing more.  
"You're not going to do it. I've seen this many times, and it all ends the same way..."  
"The victim chickens out, right? Turns back, runs home, all's good and happy? Well, sir, I have grave news for you. Life is sad, okay? Life is torture! There's no such thing as a happy ending... we live, we tire out, we die, we rot, and that's the end of it all! Cradle to grave, it's one big downhill slope!"  
Tears streamed down my angered face as I said these last words.  
"Kid, don't--"

Time seemed to freeze at that point. It was as if I had forced all other things from my mind. It was just me, with destiny surrounding me. I was going to make that leap into destiny, and nobody would stop me. Nothing would get in my way now…

I leaped forward. The rush of chilled air and the streaming lights that flashed by as I fell to my demise singed my skin and ignited tiny embers within my eyes.

But lo, I was spared.  
I tried, but failed.  
"No..."  
I had landed in a net, placed in the nick of time to catch my tortured body and spare me my life.  
"NO..."  
And I screamed it, because I KNEW that things could only be hell from here on.  
"**NO! NOOO! NOO! NO!**"

The men in the van ran toward me with twisted faces.

Their anger could not be measured in words or expression. It was immense.  
They took me by the arms with force.  
"Please, God, no..."  
They cuffed my hands behind my back...  
"Anything, anything but this..."  
As I whispered my futile pleas, I was dragged, limp, to the final vestige of my journey...  
"...I beg you."  
They threw me against the back wall of the van. They closed the doors.

A single syllable was all I had left to say as I caught my final glimpse of Newport Beach. I'd never see the city again in my life.

"Why?..."


	22. A Demon's Tears

"Kyle..."  
"Wake up, Kyle."

"What do you... what do you want from me?"  
"We'd like to study you, Kyle. We want to know... everything."  
"Everything about what?"  
"When they brought you here--"  
"WHO IS 'THEY'?"  
"The police, Kyle. When they brought you here, they were pensive... they found things about you that were quite... unusual."  
"You bastards better tell me where I am."  
"You are in a controlled facility. Nobody knows about us. We are completely anonymous."  
"Where, geographically, am I? I'm being serious here--"  
"Why, we're just off the coast of San Jose, California..."  
"San Jose? But... that's, like, 300 miles from home!"

"Oh, Kyle... don't you see? You can't go home. You can never go home."  
"NEVER?"  
"Never in a million years, Kyle. For you see, you are exhibiting a quite strange energy. One seen in very few humans. In fact, the last time we had a case like you was back in 1964."  
"So, you... you're using me? As an experiment?"  
"Not an experiment, Kyle. You're just part of an ongoing study. You see, your aura emanates EXTREMELY strongly from your body. These emanations are powerful... they could lead to massive destruction."

_So it's still here..._  
I tried to flare up an attack to bust out of the place.  
"He's spiking. SECURITY! ATTEMPT AT BREACH IN CELL 17! ALL UNITS ENGAGE!"  
"You LET ME OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The security units appeared from thin air.  
"The hell...?"  
There was a blinding flash of blue, followed by nothing.

"The sights... the sounds... the taste of blood..."  
By now, it was mid-December. I had gone completely insane. The tortures I had endured would scar any ordinary man instantly, but I had endured a few weeks. Only now did I begin to exhibit madness.  
"The _reasons_." I slashed my finger with a small stone.  
I walked limply over to the wall and began to stroke it gently with my bleeding digit.  
The canvas was stretched perfectly in front of me.  
The blood would come to tell my story, one piece at a time.

"The **curse...**"  
I drew the Mark of Palkia, shading in the pearl half with a thin layer of blood. I squeezed my artery to access more.

"The **glory...**"  
A crude image of Troy getting his head smashed open by the Aura Sphere.

"The **mission...**"  
The gate upon the dais in the cave of Lies.

"Kyle!"  
"WHAT IS IT? What else... could you possibly... want from me?"  
The tears of a demon cascaded from my broken expression.  
"You mustn't even try to explain yourself. It's no use trying to coax us into freeing you."  
"YOU SICK FUCKS! YOU BRING A MAN TO HIS KNEES, THEN GRIND HIS FLESH INTO HASH! HIS SOUL, YOU SHATTER INTO DUST! AND ABOVE ALL, YOU JUST LET HIM HANG, DESPERATE FOR AIR, FROM THE NOOSE, WITHOUT GIVING HIM HIS TRIAL BEFOREHAND? WHO COMMISSIONED THIS HELL I LIVE IN? WHO AUTHORIZED THIS?"

"Kyle... that is completely confidential."  
"I have my rights..."  
"Rights mean nothing here. Not to test subjects."

I had nothing to say to that. All hope was lost.

In January 2009, I stopped talking altogether. I figured there was no use even trying to get a word out of my useless mouth by now, so I just wore a blank expression on my face from then on.

But before I stopped trying to plead my way out, I wrote myself one last note. One little shard of a memory, so that when the slate was washed clean, I'd still have the one mark in my head, to remind me of all I stood for in the fight for the universe and its existence:

10/23/08 - 11/8/08  
NEVER FORGET  
WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED  
WHAT YOU'VE EARNED  
WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED

And I still remember it today.  
Even as I sit in this cell, I've held on to that memory.  
I've kept in contact with all I own, all I know from back home, through telepathy.  
But I am still empty inside.  
My tears are still those of a demon.  
My soul, a hollow shell.

I feel I may be wasting away at last.

-Kyle Staunton  
January 17, 2013  
8:27 PM


	23. THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER

Ignore this chapter. It is simply being used as in similar fashion to a bump post on a forum thread. This is for the purpose of extending the exposure of my story to new readers. No harm or malice is meant by this addition.


End file.
